NCLR believes that in order to maintain its relevance as a national organization that serves a constantly changing and dynamic community, it must focus on its own evolution as a nonprofit institution. One fundamental aspect of ensuring that NCLR is responsive and true to its mission is in examining its working environment and adapting it to reflect our daily actions and interactions. All of NCLR’s work and its operating principles flow out of a set of basic values and philosophy about who we are, what we stand for, and how we view the world. For the past 15 years, NCLR has had ten expressed values that were intended to guide our everyday work and actions.

In early 2009, NCLR unveiled three revised institutional values that reflect the core qualities and principles to guide the organization. The development of these refreshed values was prompted by an understanding that in addition to having a strong defined strategy for its work, NCLR must align this strategy with its organizational culture—or how it gets the work done—in order to continue to achieve impact. Toward that end, a process was put in place to explore NCLR’s values—especially in the context of new leadership—and encapsulate the values to reflect more fully the current organization and help us continue to be successful in the future.

Based on the outcomes of those activities, three core institutional values were identified: Excellence, Accountability, and Respeto. NCLR believes that these three values reflect the institution’s original ideals and capture the opinions of NCLR leadership and staff, making them more explicit and meaningful for all staff.

Excellence

• Expecting high standards
• Encouraging strategic conversation
• Establishing appropriate priorities and clear goals
• Actively pursuing new ways of doing things

Accountability

• Giving and receiving feedback necessary to our future growth
• Accepting ownership for one’s own development
• Making decisions that positively impact the Latino community
• Being loyal to the mission
• Working together across components

Respeto

• Caring about each other
• Honoring Latino cultural values
• Seeking opportunities to develop people
• Being honest in work and relationships
• Recognizing the contributions of all